This invention relates to covers or shields used to protect electrical devices during painting or other similar surface finishing treatments such as plastering or spackling. Electrical devices such as switches and outlets typically are mounted in a junction box which is fastened to the studs of a wall or other surface. An appropriately-sized hole in the wall exposes the interior of the junction box. A decorative cover plate normally surrounds the device and covers the junction box and any gap between it and the wall to create an attractive, finished appearance. The decorative cover plate itself has openings that closely fit around the operative portions of the device, such as a lever for operating a switch or one or more sockets for receiving a plug. Since the decorative cover plate normally overlies a portion of the wall which needs finishing, and since it is sometimes desired not to paint the cover plate, careful painters usually remove the decorative cover plate prior to painting or finishing a surface. This leaves the electrical device fully exposed to damage or defacement caused by poorly aimed brush or roller strokes, paint spray, plastering or spackling.
It is well known to apply a temporary paint shield to the electrical device to protect it from misdirected paint and the like. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,063,872, 6,538,202 and 6,703,562 disclose examples of such devices. However, the prior art paint shields of which applicant is aware suffer from various drawbacks which might be characterized generally as a lack of versatility. Some shields work with electrical outlets but not switches, or vice versa. Others will work with a standard wall type switch, with its lever in the form of the familiar toggle, but will not work with a so-called decor type switch, which has a lever in the form of a relatively wide rocker. It is inconvenient, almost to the point of defeating the purpose, if a painter has to have a specialized shield for every type of device. Another problem with some prior art paint shields is they cannot be used where there are multiple electrical devices in a ganged configuration. That is, it is common to have switches arrayed two or more in a row, or perhaps in multiple rows of two or more, often in a single enlarged junction box. Prior art shields cannot deal with this because they have walls or other elements that interfere with an adjacent device or its shield.
In addition to these versatility issues, other prior art paint shields simply perform poorly in their basic function. Some have mounting arrangements that space the shield panels so far from the wall that runs, drips, splashes and poorly aimed strokes can penetrate behind the shield and damage the device. Yet another problem with prior art shields is the mounting arrangements are inadequate and the shields pop off the device with the slightest provocation. This is worse than having no paint shield at all because it lulls the painter into a false sense of security. The painter thinks caution can be thrown to the wind only to find to his or her dismay that the shield will not withstand bumps or incidental contact with a roller or brush.